New Zealand « Dr Alf's Blog

This is a good article from the Guardian. It’s worth a read. Check it out!

via Numeracy crisis threatens to hold back UK in global data race | Education | The Guardian.

Personally, I don’t think that the Guardian challenges the teaching profession sufficiently. Also politicians and bureaucrats meddle too much with education policy.

Too much of the critical education debate is hijacked by left-wing teachers and lecturers promoting their own interests or pet cause, rather than focusing on the hard data of Britain’s deteriorating position in international education leagues. Have you noticed how the hard-left don’t like to back their arguments with hard-data, preferring dogma?

Surely, it’s time to replace the teachers with the best from overseas markets and drive up output standards?

Thoughts?

English: http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is an excellent, must-read, article. Check it out!

via 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index — Results.

This objective measurement of corruption is important to focus on the countries that have the best and the worst records. Ordinarily, senior management would sponsor bench-marking studies to identify opportunities for improvement. Unfortunately, the senior management here are often the political classes who have gained most from the perpetuation of corruption.

Corruption also spills over into commercial transactions. Companies in countries with a good record on corruption, in their dealings with corrupt countries often compete by playing the dirty games of corruption.

To really understand corruption, it is necessary to look at the challenge subjectively and understand the cultural and behavioral factors that make it more prevalent in some countries than others.

Even in countries with a low record of corruption by objective measurement, there are seriously corrupt individuals and businesses and institutions who want to play dirty for their gains.

Any thoughts on hard measures to reduce corruption?